Personal Development

Developing the whole child

At Hotham, our school values guide the behaviour and actions of the whole community. They sit at the heart of what we are trying to achieve.

Our three core values of Respect, Responsibility and Resolve are broken down into nine star values. These form part of everyday language at Hotham. Our behaviour policy is rooted in our values; staff use the language of our star values whenever they are discussing behaviour or personal development. Children earn points towards each star value, which lead eventually to our values badges. Children who show exceptional school values may be awarded a golden badge - a very rare accolade!

We actively teach personal development through our Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE) curriculum and Relationships and Health (RHE). We are committed to doing this from Early Years upwards. This is linked to our approach to Citizenship whereby children are taught how to be active and successful citizens in an ever changing world.

All children in Y1-6 meet weekly in a whole school assembly in which we explore our school values, British Values, inspirational individuals and citizenship in the round.

PSHE Overview

Please see an overview of our PSHE curriculum and our Relationships and Health Education Policy below.

Mental health and wellbeing

We are committed to supporting the emotional health and wellbeing of our pupils. We know that everyone experiences life challenges that can make us vulnerable and at times, anyone may need additional emotional support. We take the view that positive mental health is everybody’s business and that we all have a role to play.  

 At our school we:

• help children to understand their emotions and feelings better

• help children feel comfortable sharing any concerns or worries

• help children socially to form and maintain relationships

• promote self esteem and ensure children know that they count

• encourage children to be confident and embrace what makes them unique

• help children to develop emotional resilience and to manage setbacks

We offer different levels of support:

Universal Support: To meet the needs of all our pupils through our overall ethos and our wider curriculum, including PSHE and SRE.

Additional support: For those who may have short term needs and those who may have been made vulnerable by life experiences such as bereavement.  

Targeted support:  For pupils who need more differentiated support and resources or specific targeted interventions such as wellbeing groups or personal mentors.

Developing socially

On the playground

We know how much children value playtimes, and we do too! They are such a crucial opportunity for children to develop socially, building friendships that will likely last a lifetime. We have invested in a wide range of equipment to support the children to play active and stimulating games. Occasionally these are led by adults, and sometimes by student play leaders who will lead games for younger children. Whenever we are looking to improve our playground we will seek the voice of the children, knowing that ultimately it is their space to enjoy.

School Journeys

We build in opportunities for children in KS2 to spend time away from home. They are given the chance to do new things outside of their normal environment, develop confidence, learn to make healthy lifestyle choices and build social skills associated with living with other people.

• Children in Y4 spend one night on the historic Golden Hinde in the centre of London - linked to their learning in History.

• Children in Y5 spend a couple of nights at a local activity centre and are given the chance to participate in various outdoor challenges like canoeing, rock climbing, archery, challenge course, low ropes, big swings, and zip wire.

• Children in Y6 go further afield to spend a longer period of time away from home. They learn about local culture and participate in a range of activities linked to the area they are visiting. In recent years trips have included the Isle of Wight and France.

Pupil voice - our school, our ideas…